LSU player attributes weight gain to Popeyes, which happens to the best of us

Wide receiver Travin Dural says he gained 30 pounds in due to injury and eating too much Popeyes chicken

LSU wide receiver Travin Dural got a little hefty this offseason as he was laid up with a hamstring injury that kept him from running. Not being able to run made exercising difficult, which meant Dural's love of Popeyes chicken added a significant amount of weight.

"Yeah, Popeyes was putting a lot of weight on me," Dural told WWL-TV. "I went home one day, and my mom was like, 'Man, you look stuffed.' So, that's when I knew it was time for change. I was almost 230 pounds in the spring and I played at 203 last year."

Anyone that's had Popeyes can understand how Dural would get hooked on the chicken, and if you can't get good cardio work in, the pounds will accumulate pretty quickly. Dural had to kick the chicken in the spring and summer to slim back down to his playing weight of around 205 pounds.

"Coach Cameron made a couple of jokes about it," Dural said. "I didn't like the fullback and tight end jokes, so I knew I had to slim down. I had to stay away from Popeyes. Oh man, I tried to do a no-meat diet, but that failed miserably. That failed miserably in like two days."

Dural says he was able to stick with the diet, cutting out Popeyes and big home-cooked meals and replacing them with salads and healthier options. He has gotten back to full health with both his hamstring and his weight.

I've never felt more empathetic to an elite athlete than I do with Dural in this situation. Popeyes is a blessing, but it can be a curse if not consumed responsibly.